Staredit Network > Forums > SC1 Map Showcase > Topic: Dankwater Station
Dankwater Station
Oct 8 2022, 11:49 pm
By: Roy  

Oct 8 2022, 11:49 pm Roy Post #1

An artist's depiction of an Extended Unit Death


Backwater Station is the second Terran mission from the original StarCraft campaign. This
is a faithful recreation of that mission with enhancements given to provide a different user
experience. Changes were made based on the guidelines in How NOT to make a StarCraft Map.

The objective of the map stays largely the same to the original campaign mission, with no
major twists or anything remarkable: you control Jim Raynor, who is going to rescue an
outpost from the Zerg Swarm. If you are familiar with the campaign, you'll recall Raynor's
motivation being that the Confederacy won't make it in time to do the rescue operation.

Relive this classic mission, and tell me if you notice anything different this time around!
There might even be a surprise appearance from Sarah Kerrigan (pre-transformation, of course).


Changes made to accommodate the guidelines from How NOT to make a StarCraft Map include:

Many more preplaced units
Have you noticed in the original campaign that Mar Sara felt kind of... empty? Like, why is Raynor bothering to rescue this small number of civilians? Well, that's been fixed: there are loads of Terran Civilians placed around the map, who can all be interacted with! Now that these lives are visibly quantified, you really feel like the mission has purpose. But that's not all: this remake includes much more wildlife, making the world of Mar Sara feel vibrant and alive. I'm sure both the critters and citizens of the planet will leave an impression on you while playing.


Chock full of sounds
Yes, the original campaign is voice acted, but that's about it. Dankwater Station not only has voice lines for each line of dialogue, it also includes immersive environment sounds and atmospheric ambiance to truly engage the player in a way the original campaign never could. Treat your ears to the pleasantries sprinkled gratuitously within this map, and feel the raw emotion and tension of the situation with not only your vision, but your hearing as well! Don't worry about these sounds being played once and never being heard again, either: with liberal use of Preserve Trigger, you'll be able to hear them time and time again (when appropriate, of course).


Narrative-driven gameplay
The original campaign had some brief lines that you could mostly ignore and just attack-walk your way through every scenario. That's no longer the case. The remake resolves these issues in a number of ways. The first, obvious issue is the Mission Briefing: veteran players likely have muscle memory to automatically skip the briefing. After all, in multiplayer, nothing is worse than being stuck in the briefing room. So instead of using the briefing, Dankwater Station loads into the map immediately, and it provides an option at the start of the game to play the intro for the map. After this info dump, however, it integrates additional exposition as it becomes relevant via in-game cutscenes which are sure to grab the player's attention. Grab a snack, sit back, and relax, as this map is not just an ordinary game, but a movie as well, in the same vein as the likes of the Uncharted series.


Limited use of built-in AI scripts
Let's be real here: Blizzard's AI scripts are, well, not the greatest. They were barely passable for the original campaign, and they would have been downright unacceptable for the work of art that is this remaster. So in Dankwater Station, don't expect the AI to be doing boring old Zerg Campaign Area Town or anything of that sort. I think you'll be quite surprised as to how the computer players behave in this reimagining of the classic Terran campaign.


Stress-free gameplay
Games are meant to be enjoyed, not something to get angry over. Further, as one of the first campaign missions in the game, the player shouldn't have to be thrown into the deep end of things. Dankwater Station values the fun, lighthearted aspect of gaming that will comfort the player, like a warm blanket on a cold winter morning. Some improvements over the original include how the player gains and controls units, what units the player has to control, and when the player should control those units. Do you remember having Jim Raynor as a Vulture (with the speed upgrade, no less) zooming ahead of the rest of your units? The one unit that's supposed to stay alive, and he's suicide charging into the enemy by himself! Well, no more, I say! Yes, you control Jim Raynor in his Vulture when appropriate here, but he will exit the craft and walk alongside his fellow infantry when he needs to, as well! This small attention to detail is but one of the improvements that make this new experience so much more memorable than the original.


A faithful re-telling
This map is not original, it's true: after all, it's essentially a carbon copy of the original mission. The original map has a lot of good things going for it, and there are only a handful of things that could have been done differently to provide a superior experience. Don't expect to load into this map and get something completely unexpected: it's something you've seen before, done before. It's just, well, better this time around.


Incredible resource placement
If you recall in many of the original campaign missions, resources weren't perfect. Sometimes they're close, sometimes they're far, and sometimes you can access them by mining the resources in front of them. It gives variety, sure, but sometimes variety isn't always a good thing. In this remake, resources are, for the most part, placed in a very consistent manner. The minerals and geysers in this recreation will certainly catch the discerning player's attention, especially if you're familiar with the old map. Can you spot the difference?


Forgiving victory conditions
Being essentially a clone of Backwater Station, you'd think this version would be confined to the same victory and defeat conditions. Blah, blah, blah, kill all the baddies, don't let the hero die, etcetera. Well, believe it or not, there are even minor changes there as well! I shall avoid spoiling everything for you, but let's just say Jim Raynor may be more crafty than the Zerg (and perhaps even you) are expecting! And those cliff doodads? Perhaps they're not just decoration. You'll have to play and find out!


Enjoy, and best of luck.

Download: http://www.staredit.net/sc1db/file/6233/





Oct 9 2022, 1:54 pm Oh_Man Post #2

Find Me On Discord (Brood War UMS Community & Staredit Network)

I've seen some trolls in my time but this... this is definitely one of them.

10/10. This map sure ain't no joke.




Oct 9 2022, 1:56 pm Oh_Man Post #3

Find Me On Discord (Brood War UMS Community & Staredit Network)

Yo I'm 30 minutes into my play sesh so far. When does the mission briefing finish, exactly?




Oct 9 2022, 5:53 pm Roy Post #4

An artist's depiction of an Extended Unit Death

Quote from Oh_Man
Yo I'm 30 minutes into my play sesh so far. When does the mission briefing finish, exactly?
Great question! There's a bug I was unable to resolve when playing the map in Single Player. Even though this is a Single Player map, please load it in LAN or on Battle.net for the mission briefing to proceed automatically as intended. Otherwise, there should be an option to skip the briefing by pressing the "Start" button or pressing the enter key.




Oct 9 2022, 7:43 pm Nekron Post #5



While this is an impressive piece of artistry, it feels like there's something not quite right - perhaps there's not enough doodads?




Oct 9 2022, 7:49 pm Roy Post #6

An artist's depiction of an Extended Unit Death

Quote from Nekron
While this is an impressive piece of artistry, it feels like there's something not quite right - perhaps there's not enough doodads?
That is a fair criticism. Unfortunately, the guidelines didn't specify what to do in regards to doodads, so I may have very well placed an improper amount. Good observation!




Oct 10 2022, 8:36 am sraw531 Post #7



I have a few critiques of the level, I hope that you can find them constructive.

Negative Issues:
When I clicked on one of those smaller blue rectangles, one kind said it was a bunker, and one kind said it was a supply depot, but jimmy didn't seem to want to tell me what they are for?
I forgot what the command center does, and jimmy didn't want to remind me
I kept farming the wiggly worms but the exp gain for each was terrible.
The optional wandering enemies were too easy to reach, I suggest maybe adding some behind the mineral cluster at the top left, or maybe add a bit of water to the bottom right in order to make it so you know there are more on the planet, that you just can't kill everyone today

Positive Issues:
I like how you could skip some marines and make it more difficult for yourself, I'm sure it adds extra replay-ability, as a treat.
Jimmy being the same color as your other marines is so cool, its like he blends making the enemies have a harder time finding him

Overall, 8/8



None.

Oct 10 2022, 2:48 pm Roy Post #8

An artist's depiction of an Extended Unit Death

Thank you for the detailed review, sraw! I can address some of those issues.

Quote from sraw531
When I clicked on one of those smaller blue rectangles, one kind said it was a bunker, and one kind said it was a supply depot, but jimmy didn't seem to want to tell me what they are for?
I forgot what the command center does, and jimmy didn't want to remind me
Jimmy does in fact interact with those structures, but only during the Outpost Search mission. Once you progress beyond this point, he no longer has time to observe buildings, as he is tasked with eradicating the Zerg Swarm.

Presumably the same happened with the Command Center: after engaging with the Zerg Swarm, Jimmy is in more of a rush to save the colonies of Mar Sara. However, I did not consider that these interactions could have been forgotten during the intense battle between the two outposts, which is a realistic concern. I will have to remember this for future projects. Thank you!

Quote from sraw531
I kept farming the wiggly worms but the exp gain for each was terrible.
It's possible you were using the wrong unit to gain EXP: only non-mechanical units gain EXP, and additionally, recruited Marines are considered temporary allies and do not accumulate EXP either. This may have been why you were seeing that behavior. If I had more time, it would be cool to make an EXP system that makes sense for these units as well.

Quote from sraw531
The optional wandering enemies were too easy to reach, I suggest maybe adding some behind the mineral cluster at the top left, or maybe add a bit of water to the bottom right in order to make it so you know there are more on the planet, that you just can't kill everyone today
Critters are friends, not food. :flamer:

Quote from sraw531
I like how you could skip some marines and make it more difficult for yourself, I'm sure it adds extra replay-ability, as a treat.
Jimmy being the same color as your other marines is so cool, its like he blends making the enemies have a harder time finding him
Thank you! I felt like the original campaign made it a bit confusing for new players, too. Like, are you Blue player, or are you Teal player? It was very confusing! By having the player only control units of a single color, this issue no longer exists.

Overall, I'm beginning to see areas where I could improve future projects similar to this one. Thanks again!




Oct 13 2022, 2:42 am razorback9423 Post #9

C.I.S. Conversion Mod creator

Dankwater Station is so silly and hilarious. You just took my guidelines to heart, Roy. It's a masterpiece map that is something for everyone.



I'm retiring from SC modding to focus on making games using the Unity engine.
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/razorback9999able

Oct 13 2022, 2:53 am Roy Post #10

An artist's depiction of an Extended Unit Death

Quote from razorback9423
Dankwater Station is so silly and hilarious. You just took my guidelines to heart, Roy. It's a masterpiece map that is something for everyone.
Thank you! It was actually a lot of fun to make as well. And thanks for making an inspiring post on mapmaking guidelines!




Oct 13 2022, 9:15 pm Vrael Post #11



Many laughs were had, I give it a 5/7



None.

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[10:41 am]
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Ultraviolet -- no u elky skeleton guy, I'll use em better
[10:50 pm]
Vrael -- Ultraviolet
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hey cut it out I'm getting all the minerals
[10:11 pm]
Ultraviolet -- :P
[10:11 pm]
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[2024-4-17. : 11:50 pm]
O)FaRTy1billion[MM] -- nice, now i have more than enough
[2024-4-17. : 11:49 pm]
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[2024-4-17. : 11:49 pm]
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[2024-4-17. : 3:26 am]
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Vrael -- bet u'll ask for my minerals first and then just send me some lousy vespene gas instead
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